Gordon Strachan faces selection troubles ahead of Germany

A tense night at Hampden Park looms over the lights of Glasgow tonight, in what's got to be one of Scotland's most important qualifying games of all time. A loss here and they will fall further behind the lead chasers, and if they lose and Ireland beat Georgia tonight, it would seem all but over for the Tartan Army.

Saying it is a must win game is overstating it slightly, what Scotland could settle for tonight is a point or even a loss as long as Ireland drop points.

Gordon Strachan however, won't have this same mentality, and will be throwing every single ounce of quality Scotland have in their arsenal at the World Champions.

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The debate is, for fans and Scotland's gaffer alike, who do you go with upfront to get the best out of the Tartan Army's forward line? Do you go with the strength of Steven Fletcher? Or the tireless running and finishing quality of Leigh Griffiths?

FLETCHER'S POWER

Well, Fletcher's performance against Georgia, and the task in that game of creating openings for the real danger men (Naismith, Maloney and Anya) failed miserably as he was deemed a sortable task all game by the Georgia defence.

Although, taking into account his convincing performances, like away to Poland for example, Fletcher has the ability to cause problems and is a great talisman to aim for as he does bring Scotland's midfield quality into play.

Can he do that tonight though? Especially against the likes of Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng? That remains to be seen, if Strachan does opt for Fletcher - he'll need to be really on his game tonight.

GRIFFITHS' INVENTION

To sum up Leigh Griffiths tonight in one word, it would be gamble. The last throw of the dice from Gordon Strachan's tactical brilliance.

Whilst Griffiths himself has been in scintillating form for Celtic this season and has showcased his goal scoring ability for Wolves and Hibernian alike, will he be able to cut it against Europe's best in defence?

This remains to be seen as he's enjoyed fruitful spells in the lower levels but hasn't yet showcased his talent in the top divisions.

Still, Griffiths' determination for the cause and tireless running along with his potential goal scoring ability puts him in as a real contender to start tonight, despite where he plays at club level.

BOTH?

To play both Fletcher and Griffiths upfront in a partnership seems like the solution to this dilemma, as Fletcher's strength in the air combined with Griffiths' pace off the ball could, potentially, be dangerous.

However, this solution creates more harm than good. For one, against a side like Germany you'd need to pack the midfield.

Putting two upfront dangers this and as a result, huge gaps could appear for the Germans to exploit.

Another reason, is that Scotland's real danger men such as Shaun Maloney or Steven Naismith won't be able to fit into the team as a result of there only being a four man midfield.

To sum up, Gordon Strachan has had little time to decide what would be Scotland's best course of action for a maximum threat.

The solution is unclear, play it safe with Fletcher? Gamble with Griffiths? Fans alike will only find out an hour before the kick off of Scotland's most important qualifier to date.

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